The octagon top, curved legs and all her details were GREAT but the finish on the wood was dull, dark and dreary.
Zinnser Gel Strip to the rescue! Zinnser Gel Strip is a green product – figuratively and literally! It’s safe for the environment and works slow and steady for up to 24 hours. That’s great because you can let it work while you sleep then wake up to a bubbly-painty-gooey-sludgey goop in the morning. I usually need very little elbow grease to scrape off the leftovers in the morning.

Underneath the goop, I discovered a beautiful piece of walnut! I cleaned it all off then applied Minwax stain; I can’t remember which color.

I finished the top by hand rubbing and buffing several coats of wax into the grain. The waxed finish really enhanced the beauty of the walnut and brought it to a whole other dimension.

The ornate legs were painted, glazed and distressed. She’s now drab anymore! She’s very sturdy, well built piece and now has all her wonderful details highlighted.

Bye-bye drab and dreary, HELLO fabulous!

This CHIC accent table is available for purchase in our booth at Not So Shabby Antiques & Fine Furniture in downtown Zeeland.

Go check her out!

Since this post, I’ve learned so much. I worked around the clock for a year using these products but continued to have difficulties achieving a quality finish with their wax. I tried other several other waxes by different companies, some were hard, other’s were a little easier to blend in and work with but also had those terrible fumes.

I experienced months of recurring respiratory problems and even with my exhaust system, I was advised to remove as many chemical hazards from my environment as possible or find another line of working order to get well.I replaced toxic, hand burning, chemical strippers with citrus based strippers (which work better anyway), pulled chemically laden paints, waxes, glues… and started searching for better products.

That search eventually led me to the products I choose today ~ American Paint Company’s all natural, eco-friendly chalk and clay based mineral paints. From the first time I tried them, I was sold. I know that sounds so dramatic, but after everything I went through, It was a God send. This type of paint is so much easier to work with. It spreads easier, covers better, adheres well and the wax and finishes have been life changing for how much work I can accomplish on any given day.

For my style of painting, I can achieve a much more superior finish and can create it much faster eliminating the stress of working so hard to achieve something that’s easy with a chalk and clay mixture.

Did you know…

Shizzle Design is a small family owned business in Jenison, Michigan. My sister Cathy and I work, paint, ship and teach our chalk and clay paint workshops out of the same space where we paint all our furniture. We are truly humbled to be known as a leader in the world of chalk and clay paints.

Instead of hoarding our knowledge, we empower DIY’ers by sharing our years of experience. Stop in for paint and we’ll offer you honest and knowledgeable answers for all your chalk and clay paint needs.

We are so blessed to have taught people from all over the United States and Canada. Join us for one of our super fun hands-on chalk and clay paint workshops. Learn in our casual & relaxed environment. Click Paint Workshops to see a list of current classes offered.

Subscribe to Shizzle Design for tips, tutorials, ideas, pictures, videos for our furniture painted in all natural chalk and clay based mineral paints.

Did you know that you can get these sent directly to your inbox and that it’s FREE? It is ~ what are you waiting for? Enter your email in the right hand column of our blog to stay in the loop.

We have a Shizzle Design Facebook Page. We share all sorts tips, ideas, photos EVERY DAY and offer special deals (which you’ll only know about if you’ve Liked our Facebook Page).

Shizzle Design is an Authorized Retailer for American Paint Company Paints. We offer a large inventory of chalk and clay paint and supplies at our Shizzle Design Paint Shop /Studio, 2018 Chicago Drive, Jenison, MI 49428. We also stock several other shops in the greater Grand Rapid’s area, to find out where, click LOCATIONS. Not from Michigan? No worries, we ship paint and paint supplies worldwide through our Online Shizzle Shop.

This looks fantastic, and what a happy surprise to find this in the morning! I am so going to get this product. I hate using those awful chemicals, and the other natural products I have tried don’t work. Thanks for sharing!